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Gallery		      Latin name: Pseudotsuga menziesii
Common name: Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas-fir - Picture of spring habit.Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir), is a member of the Pine family. It is not a true "fir". This one is located at the top of Frost Hill at the Morton Arboretum.

The Douglas-fir is one of the most important timber trees in the world.

It is also grown as a Christmas tree.

Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas firPseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas-fir - Picture shows male flowersIn the picture of the Douglas-fir on the left, I have circled what I believe to be a female flower. The picture on the right shows the male flowers.

 


Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas-fir - Picture of cone with purple scales and trident shaped bracts in early June.
June 18, 2008
Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas-fir - Picture of dried cone with trident shaped bracts.
June 18, 2008
The cones of the Pseudotsuga menziesii are 5-9 cm and mature in one season.  They have trident shaped bracts that extend beyond the edges of the scales. The seeds have wings that are less than 25 mm.

The younger cones have rose colored scales. Notice how the cones have changed over a two week period.
Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas-fir - picture of cones hanging down on lower branches
Douglas-fir cones
Abies alba - Silver fir upright cones near top of tree
Silver fir cones
Douglas-fir isn't true fir. One difference is that cones of true firs are upright on the branches, but the cones of the Douglas-fir hang down.

Douglas-fir cones can be found even on the lowest branches of the tree. On "true firs" the pine cones grow upright and I've mainly seen them near the tops of the trees.


Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas-fir - Picture of dried cone with trident shaped bracts. The three pointed bracts of the cones of the Douglas fir make them different from those of other trees.

I found this small brown cone on the ground.


Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas fir
 Douglas-fir needles
Abies balsamea - Balsam fir Needles
Balsam fir needles
Leaves: flat, 2-4 cm long, taper to a short petiole, two whitish bands on the lower surface

The first picture in this row shows the needles of the Douglas-fir. The second picture shows the needles of a balsam fir.


Karren Wcisel © copyright 2008

Send email to Karrenw@aol.com

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